Frustration and 3D Process

Cast glass recursive form, completed yesterday. 3DS Max and Vray. Absolutely frustrating experience. Let me explain why.

Seven or eight years ago, after achieving some degree of familiarity with poly edit modelling in 3ds Max, learning shaders (material maps) and lighting controls, rendering settings in VRay, I could get results I wanted. All of this felt like learning Sanskrit and Egyptian and Greek all at once and at the same time, but I got through it and achieved some modest awards and recognition (a piece in the Venice Biennale, a prize from Baldwin Inc, and others).

Coming back into it after a four year break – apparently this is eternity in software time. The interfaces are different, I can’t find commands or they do slightly different things, shaders working in 2019 are broken, light is nulled out, and not just 3DS Max but VRay is totally redesigned too.

What this is telling me is that the time invested in learning these work paths has to be thrown out and relearned from the basic level. And I don’t see improvements to the software (at least not yet, maybe they are there?).

Am I going to be one of those curmudgeons using 2015 version of this software forever because I can just use it as a tool without spending 100s of hours relearning? Or just acknowledge that mastery of computer modelling is impossible as a part time activity and should only be attempted by those working full time at Pixar or some such shop? Frustrated.

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